A Missouri woman has detailed the tragic reason she is traveling to Switzerland to be euthanized.
Gayle Hendrix, 79, spoke about her decision alongside her daughter Charlene Foeste on Friday in an emotional interview with Fox 19 now.
The mother of two explained that she was diagnosed with lupus and interstitial lung disease years ago and, more recently, her lung capacity has worsened.
He now requires oxygen 24/7 and can only walk short distances, he said, a situation so difficult that he has now decided to end his life.
“My body, my choice, my death,” she said.
Missouri law does not allow euthanasia, but it does allow for the withdrawal of life support in certain cases, such as for people in severe pain. However, since Hendrix is not on life support, this does not apply, hence the need to travel.
Gayle Hendrix, 79, has detailed why she will travel to Switzerland in a few days to be euthanized.
The Missouri woman spoke about the decision alongside her daughter Charlene Foeste in an emotional interview with Fox 19 Now
“I’ve had a great life and I want to have some dignity when I move on to the next phase,” said Hendrix, as she spends her final days surrounded by friends and family.
“I just feel like it’s the right thing to do,” he added.
Recently retired after a long career in human resources and as a contact tracer, she will embark on the trip to Switzerland in a few days.
Both recalled how before her diagnosis, Hendrix led an active lifestyle, “always busy, always,” her daughter said.
It is this vigor that ironically led her to choose physician-assisted death, she said, describing a process legal in only 10 states and the District of Columbia.
Missouri isn’t one of them, but a trip to a place like New Mexico could solve that problem; however, rules and regulations in those states also require patients to have six months or less to live.
“I’ve had a wonderful life and I want to have some dignity when I move on to the next phase,” Hendrix said of the decision, as she spends her final days surrounded by friends and family. She will die by assisted suicide on Sept. 26.
“I don’t want to wait that long,” Hendrix said of his remaining years.
“I don’t want to get so sick. I don’t want to get to the point where this is about existing and not living.”
She settled in Switzerland because medically assisted dying has been legal there since the 1940s, prompting her to file paperwork last spring for a one-way trip in August.
However, “they were already booked,” Hendrix said, leading her to choose Sept. 26.
With only a few days until your operation, the procedure that awaits you is as painless as it is simple.
“They put an IV in your arm and the first medicine that goes in puts you to sleep,” she explained, showing old photos of herself in better days.
“The second one stops all bodily functions,” he added. “They have a kind of button on the IV.
“You have to be able to push that button to activate the fluid. It will be ready in five minutes.”
Her daughter, although supportive, said she does not agree with the decision, but that she will remain by her mother’s side until she breathes her last.
She settled in Switzerland because medically assisted dying has been legal there since the 1940s. “I’m just at peace with my decision, and it’s the right thing to do for me and my body,” she said, after lupus left her largely unable to move and breathe.
After that, she will be cremated, he said, paving the way for her remains to be sent back to Missouri, all within a matter of weeks.
Her daughter, although she tries to remain supportive, says she does not agree with the decision, but that she will remain by her mother’s side until she breathes her last.
“It’s not my choice,” she said, holding back tears.
“I love her and support her, and there’s no way my mom is going to do this alone, no way.”
Mother and daughter will embark on their final journey together in the coming days, at peace with their decision.
Meanwhile, advocacy groups like Death with Dignity continue to call attention to the desire to change laws surrounding assisted suicide, a controversial concept in much of the U.S. due to its religious and ethical implications.
Physician-assisted suicide, or “physician aid in dying,” is legal in states including California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington state, as well as Washington, D.C.
